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Aball at true andv proper angles, e., l and inelasticity, so as to insure a uniform result from a number of cushionstas well as throughout the Whole sheets of "cloth,

@Hitch gisten sttut @ffice A-B R AM BIAS sr onto. "or NEW Y o R K, N. vv. Letters 'Patent No. 61,308, dated January 22, li867;

BILLIARD CUSHION.

TO ALL WHOM ITMA YCONCERN lie-it known that I, ABRAM BSSFORD, of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Cushions for Billiard Tables; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which represents a transverse section of the cushion rail of a billiard table with my improved c ushion attached.

Theobject of my invention is to correct the defects inherent in billiard cushions now in use, so as to obtain more coirect angles of 'reilection or rebound. And that the importance of my improvement maybe understood,

I will premise-by stating the principal defects which are intended to be obviatcd.

First. In all cushions possessing suliicient elasticity to relieet -the ball the desired vnumber of times, the angles have been found to depart from the proper or true line, and in proportion as the elasticity of the cushion is increased the angle of reflection becomes more obtuse. Y

Second. In'cushio'ns where it has been sought to remedy the above defect vby reducing the'elastieity, a

reverse order ot' departure from the true line of reflection has invariably been the result.v And a mode of'constructing cushions, whereby they may be endowed withthe requisite elasticity, and at the same time reiiect the compensating for too much softness and flexibility,- and too much hardness length of the cushions of any one table, has not hitherto been satisfactorily accomplished.

In order toconstruct a, cushion of uniform quality throughout its whole length which will aiford angles of reile'ction nearer to thetrue Aline, and to insure uniformity inrcushions of diierent tables, I have combined two blocks or strips of vulcanized India rubber of dierent qualities, one highly elastic, the other moderately so, with an intermediate strip of metal between them. After these parts have been properly adjusted to the cushion rail, I stretch over' the face of the cushion thus formed a sheet of rubber packing, which is held. in place by the. usual linen or cotton cloth which is stretched over the Acushion und fastened by tacks to the upper and under side of the .cushion ra'il. This cushion is elastic and springy, and itsnngles of reiiection much more correct and true than those of ordinary cushions. The rubber packibg which isspread over the face of thecushion, by slightly deadeningthe forge of the blow which the cushion receives from the ball, prevents the latter from hopping for jumpingat the moment when it is rellected from the cushion.

To enable others to understand and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe it by referencei'to the accompanying drawing.

a b represents the cushion rail ofthe table; d cf are the three parts which, in combination with the rubbcipacking g, compose the cushion; g is rubber packing, consisting ofathinsheet of India rubber between two the wholebeing cemented together so as to form onecloth; L is the green cloth covering of the whole cushion; c is the tongue for fastening the green cloth covering at the topof the cushion; z'z'represent the tacks for fastening the lower ledge ofthe green cloth to the an ivory billiard ball. The parts embodying my improvements are represented by i e f y, whiehtogether for-m the cushion. The rubber-block or strip, which rests upon a shelf formed for its reception -in the cushion rail, represented by d, is made of any compound of India rubber and theV pigments commonly employed by manufacturers to give greater rmness-and solidityl to the rubber. This block of rubber should possess only-medium or about half the elasticity of pure vulcanized caoutchouc. f is another block of rubber fitting in a recess or shelf made in the strip d, and is composed of the mostelastic vulcanized caoutchouc, z'. e., pureIndia rubber, combined wthfthe necessary amount of sulphur to ei'ect vulcanization. e represents a steel spring'ribbon or strip placed vertically between the highly elastic rubber j' and theless elastic rubber d. When these three parts have been placed togctheiyns shown in the drawing, the packing g i 's rst tacked to the bottom of' the cushion rail, and then over this` the green cloth is placed by tacking it at Halse on the bottom rail) and stretched around and over thewholc and fastened by the tongue piece c, which consists of a strip'o` wood fitting in a groove, as shown in the drawing. By employing the two qualities of India rubber, of unequal elasticity, and the ribbon of stee'hin the manner described and represented, and binding the whole with rubber packing, as designated, a cushion is obtained which reflects,v the ball at all points more nearly any other arrangement of cushion known previously.V

Having thus described my inven'tion, I lclaim at the correctangle than can be obtained from cushiourail; lc is the bed of the, table, and m is' enses 1., In a. billiard cushion claim the use of u'metollic ribbon or other hard and elastic strip interposed between two pieces of vulcenizedlndia. rubber, of dierent degreesof elasticity, or within-n rubber cushion: substantially as herein set forth. i p

2. In billiurdcushions, constructed substnntilly as set forth, I claim the arrangement herein described and represented, whereby one block of India. rubber is backed and supported by lthe other.

3. I claim the two blocks or strips of vulcanized rubber, of unequal degrees of elasticity, as described, in combination with 4the spring steel ribbon und rubber packing, arranged substantially as and for the purposes herein set` forth. 4 i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

' A. BASSFORD.

Witnesses:

C. R. DIsoswAY,

JAMES M. MILLER. 

